By Jo Jeffries. Last Updated 26th September 2023. In this article, we explain the process for making multiple injury claims. We also show you when you could be entitled to compensation, how to prove your claim and offer example payouts.
If you are injured in an accident you did not cause, you might already know that you could make a personal injury compensation claim. However, what do you do if you sustain multiple injuries?
This is an important consideration because, once you have settled a claim, you cannot request further compensation later on. Therefore, it’s vital that all injuries are fully assessed before you submit your claim.
To help you start the claims process, we offer a free assessment of your case. During the telephone call, we’ll explain your options and give free legal advice. Where it appears that your case has strong grounds, we could connect you with one of our personal injury solicitors. Importantly, they’ll work on a No Win No Fee basis for any claim they take on.
To begin the claims process straight away, please call our advisors on 0800 073 8801. Alternatively, please continue reading to find out more.
Jump To A Section
- The Criteria For Making A Multiple Injury Claim
- Examples Of Multiple Injuries
- Work-Related Multiple Injury Claims
- Making A Multiple Injury Claim After A Road Traffic Accident
- Compensation Payouts In Multiple Injury Claims
- Make A Multiple Injury Claim With A No Win No Fee Solicitor Today
- Learn More About Making A Personal Injury Claim
The Criteria For Making A Multiple Injury Claim
Those who successfully make personal injury claims for multiple injuries would have met certain eligibility criteria.
To claim for multiple injuries, you must be able to prove that someone else was liable for them. This involves establishing that another party breached a duty of care they had towards you and that the breach caused multiple injuries.
This could be your employer, who has a duty of care towards you under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. Or, for example, the party in control of the premises you are using, who has a duty of care towards you under the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957. All road users have a duty of care to one another, and if this is breached, it could cause an accident.
As well as meeting the above criteria, you would also only have a limited period of time to launch a multiple injury claim. The Limitation Act 1980 sets out the personal injury claim time limit that would apply to your claim. While this is usually three years from the accident date, there are some exceptions, which we explain further below.
If you want to learn more about multiple injury claims, please get in touch. Should you wish to check your eligibility, an advisor could determine this for you, free of charge.
Time Limits For Multiple Injury Claims
Before we move on, it’s important to point out that there is generally a 3-year time limit for claims. This will usually start from the date of your accident. However, where your injuries aren’t diagnosed until later on, the limitation period could begin from your date of knowledge that negligence at least contributed to the injuries.
The time limit doesn’t apply to injury claims involving children until they reach their eighteenth birthday. When they turn eighteen, they have three years to claim. A litigation friend can claim for them at any time before their eighteenth birthday.
In regards to those who lack the mental capacity to claim, a litigation friend could also claim on their behalf. However, if the person regains mental capacity, they would have three years to claim from the date of their recovery.
What Evidence Supports A Multiple Injury Claim?
As part of a multiple injuries claim, you will need to demonstrate what happened, that the other party was at fault and what injuries you sustained. That’s why gathering evidence is important. What will be available will vary from case to case but evidence that you could use includes:
- A picture of the accident scene can be vital evidence. Ideally, you should try to take one as soon as possible, where it is safe to do so, and before anything has been moved.
- Accident reports. Businesses and employers are obliged to record any accident that’s reported to them. You should request a copy of the report as it makes denying that the accident took place very difficult.
- Medical records. It is important to get your injuries treated. By doing so, the chances of them healing correctly will improve. At a later date, you could ask for a copy of your medical records to help prove the extent of your injuries.
- Witness details. Where the defendant disagrees with your version of events, witness statements could be used. Therefore, where possible, write down details of anybody who saw what happened.
- CCTV / Camera footage. If your accident was captured on camera, you’re within your rights to request a copy. Therefore, try to secure any CCTV or dashcam footage before it is wiped.
Examples Of Multiple Injuries
In the next couple of sections, we’ll look at some more common accidents that could lead to multiple injury claims. Before we do, let’s look at some of the more common injuries that the claims could include:
- Head injuries – these could also result in brain injuries.
- Internal injuries
- Multiple fractures or broken bones
- Burns – these may result in mental harm
- Scarring – again, there may be some psychological suffering that results from scarring
Work-Related Multiple Injury Claims
You could be entitled to compensation if you’ve suffered multiple injuries in a workplace accident. If you can show the accident was caused by your employer’s negligence, you could have grounds to proceed.
Some examples include workplace accidents caused by:
- Inadequate safety training.
- Faulty, unmaintained or damaged machinery.
- A lack of proper, necessary personal protective equipment.
- An unsafe working environment.
- Fatigue (caused by your employer making you work too many hours without breaks).
Your employer is not allowed to sack you, demote you or discipline you for making an honest claim against them. Therefore, don’t be worried about claiming for multiple injuries at work. Our advisors will talk you through the claims process when you call.
Making A Multiple Injury Claim After A Road Traffic Accident
Road traffic accidents (RTAs) are perhaps one of the most common ways of sustaining multiple injuries. Again, if the accident in which you were injured was caused by somebody else, you may have the grounds to take action.
Accidents involving cars aren’t uncommon. However, multiple injuries can be more likely if you’ve been knocked off a bike or motorbike. The same is true for accidents involving pedestrians.
Pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists and horse riders are the most vulnerable road users. It can be difficult to claim if you’ve been injured due to a cyclist, pedestrian or horse rider’s negligence on the road due to the likelihood of a lack of insurance.
However, if you were injured because of a motorist or motorcyclist’s negligence, you could find it easier to claim. It is a legal requirement for them to carry insurance.
If you or a loved one have been injured in an RTA and sustained multiple injuries, why not call to have your claim assessed for free?
Compensation Payouts In Multiple Injury Claims
We are now going to spend a little time looking at the potential value of your injuries. This part of a claim is called general damages. It aims to cover any pain, suffering or loss of amenity.
When solicitors provide compensation estimates, they’ll often use figures from the Judicial College Guidelines. These guidelines contain a list of various injuries and their respective potential compensation amounts.
Therefore, we’ve used those same amounts in the compensation table that follows.
| Type Of Claim | Severity Level | Compensation Range | Additional Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| PSTD | Severe (a) | £59,860 to £100,670 | This will involve permanent PTSD symptoms and affect all aspects of the claimant’s life. |
| Wrist | Complete loss of function (a) | £47,620 to £59,860 | Includes wrist injuries that lead to a complete loss of function. |
| Elbow | Severe (a) | £39,170 to £54,830 | Includes any elbow injury that is severely disabling. |
| Ankle | Severe (b) | £31,310 to £50,060 | Includes injuries where pins and plates secure broken bones or extensive treatment is needed. |
| Hand | Serious (e) | £29,000 to £61,910 | Covers injuries that are likely to reduce function to around 50%. |
| Knee | Moderate (i) | £14,840 to £26,190 | An example here is a torn meniscus injury causing wasting or weakness. |
| Back | Minor (i) | £7,890 to £12,510 | This category is for soft tissue damage where recovery takes around 2 – 5 years without surgery. |
| Arm | Simple (d) | £6,610 to £19,200 | Covers fractures of the forearm that are straightforward. |
| Wrist | Long but complete recovery (d) | £6,080 to £10,350 | Fractures of the wrist that require longer than usual to heal but don’t cause lasting damage. |
| Psychiatric Damage | Moderate (c) | £5,860 to £19,070 | There will have been quite a large impact but the claimant will be showing good signs of recovery and receive a good prognosis. |
You’ll notice that settlement amounts relate to the severity of your injuries. As a rule, the more severe the injury and the more negative impact it has on your life, the greater the payout.
What Other Damages Could You Claim?
As well as claiming for the physical and psychological suffering caused by your injuries, you’ll need to consider any financial impact too. This can be done through a special damages claim. Here you could include any costs, expenses or monetary losses caused by your injuries.
What can be claimed varies from case to case but could include:
- Medical expenses. This might include any prescription fees or the cost of physiotherapy treatment that the NHS couldn’t cover.
- Care costs. Getting help during your recovery might make things a bit easier. Therefore, you could claim back any associated costs even if your care was provided free by a family member.
- Travel and accommodation costs. Trips to the hospital, for example, can be expensive. If you incur parking, fuel or public transport costs because of your injuries, they could be added to your claim.
- Loss of earnings. If you or your partner have lost any income as a result of your injuries, they could be claimed back. Usually, this will constitute the difference between your normal income and statutory sick pay (if you were paid statutory sick pay).
- Future loss of earnings. Where your injuries have an adverse impact on your ability to work, any earnings reduction in the future could be factored into your claim.
How Do I Request An Interim Payment?
It is sometimes possible to get part of your compensation paid before your personal injury claim has been finalised. This is called an interim payment. It can only be made after the defendant has admitted liability.
They might be needed for various reasons. They include covering proven reduction in earnings. Also, you could claim the cost of paying for treatment.
An interim payment may be possible if the defendant has agreed that they were responsible for your accident but the settlement value of your claim is yet to be agreed upon. In this situation, your solicitor could ask for the interim payment to be made.
Make A Multiple Injury Claim With A No Win No Fee Solicitor Today
Claiming multiple injury compensation might be less stressful if you work with someone with experience in this area of the law. If you’re eligible to claim compensation for an accident that has caused multiple injuries, a solicitor could help you gather evidence. They could also negotiate for compensation on your behalf.
One of our solicitors with experience in working on multiple injury claims may offer to take on your case under a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA). A CFA is a type of No Win No Fee agreement. Usually, under a CFA, you would not pay your solicitor for their work until the end of your claim.
If your claim is successful, they would deduct a small, legally capped success fee from your payout. If unsuccessful, you will not typically have to pay them for their work.
To check if one of our solicitors could take on your claim under such an agreement, or to get started with a claim, why not get in touch? You can reach an advisor via:
- Telephone – 0800 073 8801
- Online – using our contact form
- Via Live Chat
Learn More About Personal Injury Claims
We have linked to some more resources and guides here to help you further.
- Broken Bone Advice – Provides advice on what to do if you suspect you’ve broken a bone (NHS).
- Anxiety UK – This UK charity could help if you’re suffering with psychological harm because of your accident.
- Occupational Safety – Information about staying safe at work.
- Public Place Accidents – Details about when you could claim if you’ve been injured in a public location.
- Split Liability Claims – Information on claiming for injuries in an accident that you were partially responsible for.
- Wrongful Death Claims – Details about claiming if a loved one has been fatally injured because of someone else’s negligence
- This guide explains making a claim for permanent facial scar compensation under personal injury law. You could receive scarring in addition to other injuries.
Thanks for visiting today to read our guide on multiple injury claims.